Four years later, Christmas time

Elizabeth wiped her tears as she gave three and a half year old Taryn splashed in the bath bubbles.

"Momma? Why sad?"

"I'm okay, baby girl. I promise."

"You kying," she pointed out, standing up and kissing Elizabeth's tears.

Lucas stepped into the doorway and then rubbed Elizabeth's back. "Thinking about tomorrow?"

"Yeah. How are you holding it together?"

"Because I know that Quinn is going to be a good husband for Charlie and I'm excited to do my part in the wedding."

"I gonna be a pitty pincess!" Taryn said, putting bubbles on her head like a crown. "I gonna mawee Daddy!"

Elizabeth smiled at Taryn's adorable proclamation without her 'r's' and Lucas bending over to kiss their daughter's cheek.

"You are going to be a very pretty flower girl, T," Elizabeth told her.

She knew that Quinn would in fact be a great husband to Charlie and that they both had a good head on their shoulders. They were both twenty and both had their one more semester to get their Associates degrees. Charlie in business and Quinn in English. He was going to be a great teacher.

Charlie also made pretty good money with her Charlie's Canine Camp business and Quinn was working part time and going to school full time as well.

"Come on, T. Time to get out."

"Awww, five mo minutes?"

"Nope. We need to get you out so that Daddy can read you stories. Momma has work to do tonight and I don't want to be up past midnight."

"I'll get her out, Libby. You go work."

Elizabeth stood and placed a lingering kiss on Lucas' mouth, making Taryn giggle. "I love you, Lucas Bouchard."

"I love you more."

……

Elizabeth climbed into bed with her laptop and a cup of tea about ten minutes later. She opened her laptop to her writing program. The first two books in her Aloha Mysteries Series had been best sellers and she was now working on the final book in the series.

She needed to finish this outline by the end of the week. Her editor was begging. However, as she heard Taryn's giggles in the room she shared with fourteen year old Harper, all she wanted to do was be in there with them.

She looked up when she heard a knock on the bedroom door. "Come in."

"Mom?"

"Tom, come snuggle with me."

"I'm twelve. Twelve year olds don't snuggle with their Mom's."

"No one has to know. I won't tell. I just need some Tommy snuggles."

"You promise you won't tell?"

"Of course." She shut her laptop and put it on the side table and opened her arms.

He laid down next to her and groaned as she hugged him tight. "I'm too old for this. I'm a teenager, Mom."

"Not yet." She ran her fingers through his brown hair that matched Jack's. "I love you, Tom."

"I know."

"If your dad were still alive, he'd be so proud of you."

"Why?"

"You do your chores without being told. You are a great big brother to T. You never yell or complain."

"Except when you insist on snuggling."

She laughed. "True, but your dad loved to snuggle so he would tell you there was absolutely nothing wrong with it."

"TMI, Mom."

"Oh, stop."

He laughed and closed his eyes, liking the affection, but not verbally admitting it.

"Momma, I sleep with you too?" Taryn asked, climbing up and snuggling into Elizabeth's chest.

"Nope. Sorry, T. You know the rules. Everyone sleeps in their own rooms. Now give me a kiss and scoot."

"One mo book?"

"Come on, T. I'll read to you," Tom said, kissing Elizabeth's cheek and holding out his hand. He waited patiently as Taryn kissed Elizabeth's cheeks and eyes and forehead and then took her to bed.

Lucas stayed in the room and locked the door. She could see a few more gray hairs in his temples and beard. The man was 49 and seemed to get more sexy with age.

His eye caught her watching him. "I thought you were supposed to be working."

"Maybe tomorrow."

"Your editor is going to throw a fit."

She shrugged.

"Come here," she said, flipping back the covers.

"Its early, Lib."

"So? Are you saying you don't want to join me?"

"Absolutely not."

He pulled his shirt off and slipped under the covers. She giggled, sounding like a much younger woman.

"Hi."

"Hey."

…..

Wedding day, Charlie's apartment

She woke up and smiled. Sunshine poured through the windows even though it was chilly and Christmas Eve. Perfect for a wedding.

She heard the doorbell and checked her clock. "7:30? Who is here this early?" She wasn't supposed to be over at Mom and Dad's until 11am to get ready for the wedding.

She wandered down the curved staircase that she loved and across a good sized living room to the door. She looked through the peep hole.

"I can't let you in, babe," she shouted. "You can't see me before the wedding."

"Come on, hon. You don't actually believe that superstition, do you? Even if it decided to snow and we had no electricity and your dress was lost and my tux wasn't in my car and the flowers died, it would still be a perfect day. You know why?"

She smiled and watched him through the peephole. Gosh, he was so adorable. "Why?"

"Because I get to marry my best friend. Nothing is more perfect than that."

"You are not making this easy."

He smiled and looked up at the peephole. She knew he couldn't see her but she felt a connection anyway. "Making what easy?"

"To resist you. I…really want to be in your arms right now."

"I have my key. I can just come in."

But he was respecting her privacy. Even though that night, he would be officially living there with her, sleeping next to her. He was so incredible and she loved him so much. No, she didn't really believe that if he saw her that they would have bad luck. It was just tradition.

"I'll let you in if you close your eyes."

He did as she asked and closed his eyes. She opened the door and slipped her fingers between his, pulling him into the apartment.

"Hi, handsome."

He smiled, his dimples creating an irresistible need to kiss him. So she did.

"Morning, almost husband."

"Morning, right back to you."

He took a tiny black velvet bag from his pocket and held it out, his eyes still closed. "May I look at you, please? I want to see you open it."

"Okay."

He opened them and dragged his eyes from her wavy curls over her silky cream colored robe down to her fuzzy socks. She slept in them apparently. He had to have bare feet when he slept.

"Yeah, I can't wait to wake up to you every single morning looking like this."

She blushed and smiled. "Coffee?"

"Sure."

They stood at the counter making the coffee together. She wanted this every single day too.

"What do you wear to bed?"

He almost choked on his coffee, his cheeks coloring a bit. "I'm sorry?"

"If I had come over to see you this morning at your parents' house, what would you have been wearing? I know bare feet…but then…."

"Flannel pajama pants."

"No shirt?"

"Not typically."

"Mm." She'd seen him without a shirt when they went swimming during the summers. He was nice to look at.

"Mm what?"

"Just imagining."

"Charlotte Thornton."

She bumped him with her hip and laughed. "What? I'm allowed. You are going to be my husband today."

"I can't wait."

……

Elizabeth straightened Lucas' tie and smoothed his jacket. "You look so handsome, hon. Just like the night we got married."

"I wasn't this nervous that night."

"Why are you nervous?"

"I don't know. I guess, giving our daughter away finally hit me. Its huge, Libby. Huge. She's all grown up now."

"Yeah, she is."

"She's going to be a wife and probably a mom."

She nodded and wiped her own cheeks. "I know. I remember the day she was born. All tiny and perfect. I had fought for nine months through terrible morning sickness and just seeing her, feeling her in my arms, hearing her cry, filled me with the strongest love I could imagine."

Taryn came running in the room and twirled. "See me, Momma! I pincess!"

"Wow! T, you are beautiful!" Lucas said, picking her up. He was really glad she had many years to go before she would be getting married. He was determined to enjoy as many moments as he could.

"Momma, why sad?"

"Nope, baby girl. I'm not sad. I'm happy."

Taryn wrinkled her nose and reached for Elizabeth. She took her and hugged her tight.

"Happy, Momma?"

"Yes, thank you so much. Now, go knock on Tommy's door and tell him he has ten minutes left."

"Okay!"

Elizabeth pressed a kiss to Lucas' beard and smiled. "I'm going to make sure that Charlie and Harper are ready."

"Libby?" Lucas said quietly.

"Hm?"

"Thank you. For loving me. For being my family."

She turned back and hugged him, taking a quiet moment to appreciate each other. "I love you, Lucas Bouchard.

"I love you more."

…..

"Who gives this woman to be married to this man?" Pastor Frank asked.

"Her mother and I do," Lucas said with plenty of pride in his voice. He was just happy he hadn't broken down after seeing her in her dress. She was beyond beautiful, just like her mother.

He sat back down and took Elizabeth's hand. Now he just needed to hold it together through the father/daughter dance.

As they said their vows, Elizabeth thought back to both of her weddings. Jack's and hers had been the typical big wedding, with everyone invited and a large party afterward. However, regardless that hers and Lucas' was small and intimate, the vows for both weddings meant everything.

Lucas put his arm around Elizabeth's shoulder as they watched them light a unity candle. Elizabeth reached up and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, love. You're my life," she whispered.

"You're my everything," he whispered back.

He wished that exact same thing for all his children. Happiness, deep love, a lifetime of everything they could possibly want. He knew there would be tough times, he and Elizabeth could both attest to that. But they would get through it together.

….

During dessert

"Gampa!" Four year old Ava yelled, running over to Lucas.

"Well, if it isn't my beautiful Ava girl. Hello."

"Gampa, will you dance with me? Please?"

"Of course I will."

He had survived the father/daughter dance and he was proud of himself.

"Daddy! I dance too?" Taryn asked, looking up at him.

"Sure, I'll dance with both of you. Come on, girls!"

Elizabeth laughed as he picked both girls up and swayed. Her eyes traveled to the newlyweds who were on the floor again and then over to Harper. Whoa…she was talking to Johnny Coulter. None other than Lucas' best friend's son but also the boy who called her fat five years before.

Now, she was chatting with him and….wow she was going to dance?

Harper had grown into a lovely, well proportioned teen with a forgiving heart. She must have forgiven Johnny.

Mia sat down next to Elizabeth.

"Hey, sweetie."

"Hey."

Elizabeth looked at her daughter-in-law. "Something on your mind?"

"Um…yes."

Elizabeth patted her hand and smiled. "Whenever you're ready, I'm here to listen."

"Andy got a job in San Antonio so we're moving and I'm pregnant."

Elizabeth's eyebrows went up as she did her best not to be shocked. "Congratulations to all of you. I'll certainly miss you and so will everyone else."

"Are you mad?"

"Of course not. You're grown and have your family. I'm proud of both of you."

"Family pictures!" Charlie yelled from across the dance floor.

Elizabeth hugged Mia. "When are you going to tell Lucas?"

"Andy's going to later tonight."

Elizabeth watched Lucas and his two little dance partners walking toward Charlie. He might struggle a bit with the news.

As they all stood ready for the myriad of pictures to be taken, Elizabeth slipped her hand into his and squeezed.

"Everyone say cheese!"

And this alternate universe is complete! I've enjoyed it immensely and I hope you have too!*